By: Peter Larocque ~ March, 2019
What a God we have to love and serve, who else gives up their own son’s life to save a people who have rejected every thought of His very existence! Scripture tells us in Romans 5:6-8, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.[That’s you and me]7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.8 But God commendeth his love toward us, [you and me] in that, while we were yet sinners, [you and me] Christ died for us.”[you and me]
Trying to wrap your thoughts around this just blows the mind, why would God do this? Because of Love, God could not imagine Heaven, His home, without us!
Attempting to explain God with our teeny-weeny brains is futile. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 55: 8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God makes it very clear to us that His thoughts and ways are Higher than our thoughts and ways! Therefore, God’s style of doing things is much Higher than we could ever think or imagine! Especially when it comes to forgiveness!
God’s style of forgiveness is always given freely without strings attached, far above our way of forgiving. If we look at the preceding verse of what we just read in Isaiah 55, verse 7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” God’s Thoughts and Ways are always Mercy, to Abundantly, Exceedingly, Greatly, Freely Forgive! God never puts anyone on Parole!
Our style of forgiveness is always of judgment and fairness with conditions, with parole!
We judge others by their actions and judge ourselves by our intentions! We say of ourselves, “I really didn’t mean that,” and at the same time we judge others based upon their sin!
Why does God forgive so easily? Simple answer, because it cost God his beloved son! The cross of Jesus Christ where sin was dealt with once and for all allows God to freely, abundantly forgive without one mention of your sin. God put everyone’s lifetime of sins on Jesus at the Cross and they died with him. When Jesus said while on the cross, “It is Finished” meant that all of God’s judgment was done! Sure, there will be a further judgment day coming for unbelievers, but for us who believe, we have eternal life!
I don’t have the space in the one column to write all the examples in scripture to back up what I am saying, but if you want to read your Bible, start here, Matthew 18:21-22, Luke 7:41-43, Luke 7:47, Luke 15:4-6, Luke 15: 8-9, Luke 15:11-14, Luke 15:17-19, Luke 15:20-24.
Look at God’s Style of Forgiveness! He Forgives Us Endless Times!
He is A God of Endless Chances! He Freely forgives you!
He looks until He finds you! He lays you on His shoulders! [a place of strength & comfort]. He seeks diligently until he finds you! When you are still a great way off, He sees you! He has compassion and runs to you! He kisses you Repeatedly! He gives you His robe of Righteousness! He gives you His ring of Recognition! He gives you His shoes of Sonship! He gives you a Celebration of a Lifetime!
All Without One Mention of your sin! Why? All Because of Jesus!
Romans 3:24, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
God’s style of forgiveness after the Cross of Jesus Christ in found in Hebrews 8:10-12, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord;
I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
If God does not remember your sins any more, why then should you?
Love to all of you,
Peter Larocque